Volkswagen reveals new Arteon fastback sedan

Volkswagen has always been known for its conservative design language but now the company behind "the people's car" intends to shift that perception with the Arteon – a sporty fastback sedan which blasts away the bland.

But  Volkswagen's aims for the Arteon stretch beyond this singular model and embrace a new era of design containing styling cues for future cars in the line-up.

It's clear that VW is chasing dynamism with the Arteon's sporty, aggressive appearance.

Raked-back LED headlights converge with the gaping front grille alongside generous air intakes, while chunky recessed wheel arches dominate the side profile.

It all signals that the Arteon is a significant departure from the conservative styling that VW has clung to.

While the Arteon is based on the same architecture as the Volkswagen Passat, it’s longer, wider and lower than the Passat – in fact, VW uses the same platform for the latest generation Audi TT, which certainly bodes well for its performance.

The Arteon is expected to come with six different powertrain options for its European launch in 2018, including a range of petrol and diesel engines.

While the majority of the engines will channel power to the front wheels only, the higher-spec 2.0L TSI petrol and 2.0L TDI diesel engines will be paired with Volkswagen’s 4Motion four-wheel-drive system.

Pricing and Australian availability are yet to be announced, but speculation suggests the Volkswagen Arteon should arrive on Australian shores sometime in 2018.